Trinamul leaders in Bankura have started a drive to collect soil from the courtyard of tribal families in the district for a statue of Birsa Munda that the ruling party had decided to build after Union home minister Amit Shah in November garlanded that of an anonymous tribal hunter mistaking that to be that of the tribal freedom fighter’s.

The Trinamul started the collection drive from the home of Bibhishan Hansda, the tribal villager who had hosted Shah for lunch at his Chaturdihi village home in Burdwan in November.

“We had promised to erect a statue of Birsa Munda near Poabagan, where the statue of the hunter was garlanded by the Union home minister Amit Shah. We will visit houses of each tribal people in our district and collect a handful of soil from every home. We will also inform them how the BJP had insulted their hero," said Shyamal Santra, a minister of state and Bankura Trinamul president.

The tribal freedom fighter, religious leader and folk hero suddenly assumed centre stage in the battle between Trinamul and the BJP ever since Shah paid floral tribute to the statue of an anonymous tribal hunter, which the BJP had identified as Munda’s statue.

While the faux pas by Shah drew sharp criticism from tribal organisations, the state BJP tried to bluff it out. State BJP president Dilip Ghosh said — much to the dismay of tribal organisations — that the party considered the statue of the anonymous hunter as that of the tribal icon because Shah had paid floral tributes to it.

Around that time, Trinamul announced that the party would help set up a 20-foot-tall concrete statue of Munda as early as possible.

Trinamul leaders said the drive to collect soil from tribal households in the district would help the party connect with the tribal community.

“We will collect soil in keeping with tribal culture. We have formed at least 200 teams who will visit most of the tribal houses,” said Santra.

Mrityunjoy Murmu, the sabhadhipati of Bankura Zilla Parishad, who accompanied the team that visited Bibhishan Hansda’s house on Monday, said: “We took a bamboo container and placed fresh leaves on it to collect the soil. We assured them that the soil of their courtyard will be used in making the statue,” said Murmu.

“I am glad that the soil of my courtyard will be used to erect Birsa Bhagwan’s statue. I am not a political person but will I be happy if a statue of our hero is set up,” said Bibhishan.

BJP leaders in Bankura scoffed at the Trinamul’s “gimmick”.

“Tribal people have already decided to overthrow the Trinamul in the coming Assembly polls. Trinamul’s gimmick will not work,” said Vivekananda Patra, BJP’s Bankura president.